One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 21

Gwen and Sirius existed in polite silence. They'd taken Remus' no fighting request to heart, only speaking when absolutely necessary.

Gwen busied herself with Jonathan and Sirius occupied himself with whoever was available. The Marauders were constantly on edge, scared that Sirius would blow up in their faces the moment he was pushed too far.

The same went for the girls—Lil, Marlene, and Dorcas all agreed that Gwen was a ticking time bomb. They just weren't sure what hers would look like. They and their Veela friend had taken to hiding out in the library where the boys rarely hung out.

"I think I know why Remus doesn't react to your charm," Lily whispers to Gwen, glancing at a softly snoring Marlene and Dorcas who was too embroiled in her book to hear what she was saying. Gwen glances up from her magazine and muses, "Mmhm?"

"Gwen, I-I think he's a werewolf,"

Gwen glances back up, quirking a brows as she asks slowly, "And you think this because..."

"Well, Severus—"

Gwen cuts her off, mumbling flatly, "I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. He's talking out both sides, Lily."

"He said he wants to spy on the lads to find out, but I said that was a horrible idea."

Gwen sits up straighter, looking at the ginger with furrowed brows.

"He's going to spy on them? Tonight?"

"I told him not to. I doubt he will this time since I asked, but next full moon..." Lily trails off, feeling very unsure of herself. Gwen chews nervously on the inside of her lip before sighing and saying quietly,

"I'll check it out."

Lily looks up at her in surprise. Gwen shrugs and mutters, "If nothing else you can tell him I saw nothing so he won't bother them."

"But Gwen—"

"I'll be fine, Lily. I'm sure there's nothing to be scared about anyway. Snape doesn't know what he's talking about."

Lily nods hesitantly.

She waited up with Gwen in the Gryffindor Common room until the moon was high in the sky. Gwen said a quick farewell and then began her trek down the stairs. She doesn't dawdle, not really willing to deal with Filch or Mrs. Norris tonight. Not when she just wanted to get this over with and go to her bed.

She sighs when her foot finally leaves stone and lands on grass outside. She smiles at the sight of the grounds bathed in moonlight. It was cold, goosebumps erupting on her skin. But everything seemed fine, nothing out of place.

She peers over her shoulder, her eyes lingering on the lake. She hesitates, quickly glancing back at the castle. The black water beckoned her forward, and despite her fear and horrible memories...she missed it. Missed swimming and missed not being afraid. She missed her mum, and the water was where her mother was her happiest before her death. That's why finding her on the beach felt like such a betrayal, because the water had gone from beautiful to absolutely terrifying.

Gwen stands at the shore, the gentle ripples and waves nearly lapping at her toes. It's quiet, not a sound.

And then it isn't.

The Veela freezes when she hears brush moving close by, then sniffing. She doesn't move, doesn't look. Because she's very much aware that she cannot out run the thing she thinks is standing behind her.

The hair on her back moves from the force of the harsh exhale behind her. She shuts her eyes tight, pretending that this is Remus. Because it is. This being behind her is Remus, but he has no control. And Gwen doesn't blame him, she understands.

Just as she's bracing for impact, bracing for whatever it is that comes next, a loud Yelp sounds out behind her.

She opens her eyes and turns around, her heart stopping at what she sees. A large black dog is attack the werewolf she knows to be her friend. She's torn, part of her wants to tell the dog to leave him alone. But she also knows this is her chance to escape.

She only hesitates a moment longer before she takes off, sprinting past the werewolf and the dog as she heads for the castle. It must gain the beasts attention, because he swats the dog aside and begins running after her.

Gwen let's out a shriek of surprise when a rather large stag appears in front of her. She's so close to the castle's glowing lights, nearly there. But she almost trips when that stag morphs into James and grabs her hand, running her faster than her legs can carry her.

Barking and snarling and yelping nearly makes her turn around, but James is pushing her into the castle and panting as he says hurriedly,

"Stay here!"

"But—"

"Ninnie, I have to go help Sirius! Stay here!"

His voice is urgent, panicked. She must be hallucinating because he's suddenly transforming back into a stag and galloping away.

There's more noises and then it grows quiet, a faint howl in the distance. Her heart rate is unhealthily high, and it only gets worse when a rat skitters by her feet. She jumps away from it, cursing wildly and then gasping when it begins to change and grow and warp.

"Peter?!" She wonders incredulously. He looks at her nervously and says quickly, "I need your help. James has Remus in the shack, but Sirius has been hurt."

Her head is spinning, her heart is pounding. Peter jumps back when she rushes past him and retches quietly. This was all too much, far too much for someone that preceded life as boring as possible. He stands awkwardly, feeling ill himself when she heaves again. She quickly spits and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, saying quietly,

"Come on, Pete. Let's go get him."

The Veela and the short boy hurry back out to the hill she'd just run up. She's nearly ill again when she sees Sirius laying there. Still. He's unmoving and Gwen nearly panics, nearly tells Pete she can't do this. But then she's hurrying over to him and kneeling at his side.

His eyes blink open and he mumbles weakly, "You're a fucking idiot."

Gwen ignores him and shakily pushes up his jumper, stomach still churning when she asses the wounds to his side. Deep slash marks, showing flesh and tarry skin and blood. Peter let's out a noise of discomfort from beside her at the sight.

"Ninnie," Her eyes flicker up to Sirius' pale face. His eyes are slightly unfocused, a bruise already forming on the side of his cheek.

"Would you shut up so I can fix this?" She asks incredulously, pushing his clothes up further so she can see the complete picture.

Sirius chuckles weakly, grunting, "You're pretty when you're angry."

"You have a concussion," She mutters, pulling out her wand and whispering a few spells. She relaxes slightly when she sees his skin knit back together, leaving only dried blood on his torso. But then another howl sounds in the distance and she's quickly sitting the injured boy up.

"Stay awake," She says firmly, Peter helping her stand him up. Sirius grunts something she can't understand, the three of them making painfully slow and quiet progress to the hospital wing.